Coaches advise of greater challenge at 2014 FIVB Men’s Club World Championship

All eight coaches expect a tough competition in Belo Horizonte

Belo Horizonte, Brazil, May 4, 2014 – Everything is ready in Belo Horizonte for the opening day of FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship, with three matches launching almost a week of thrilling action. On Sunday evening, the teams’ coaches gathered for the official Press Conference and they all agreed on the fantastic volleyball level this tournament is going to have.

After the General Technical Meeting held at Mercure Hotel in Belo Horizonte, where all the details concerning the competition were covered, the coaches took the floor to emphasize the quality and quantity of great teams gathered in Brazil.

Here are the coaches’ thoughts on the eve of the first day of action:

Igor Arbutina, Al-Rayyan coach: “We are proud to be part of this event. When we got the invitation, we decided to create a strong team, because this is a major opportunity for our club. We want to represent Qatar in the best way possible, so we created a strong and respectable team to give our best. We aim for the semifinals, but our main goal is to play good volleyball against all opponents.”

Boris Kolcins, Belogorie Belgorod assistant coach: “To be here, we faced a very difficult road. First we had to won the Russian league, which wasn’t easy. Then, we had to become the European champions, which was even more complicated. Just then we could enjoy our place in the competition. However, for us, the only good result is the first place. That puts a bit of extra pressure on us, but we are always ready for the challenge.”

Foued Kamoun, Esperance coach: “We arrive here as the African champions, so we will try to represent the continent the best possible way, as we are currently the best team from there. We know that our volleyball is a bit far from the international level, but we will do our best and for sure we will learn a lot from the experience of being among the world's best.”

Javier Gaspar, Guaynabo Mets coach: “Our goal here is simply to put out our best effort in each game, no matter what result we get. That usually worked out well for us. We will try to maintain a high level to force our opponents to do the exact same. And if they beat us, so be it. This championship is going to be a tremendous experience. We are very happy to be here and to represent Puerto Rico; we can hardly find words to describe the feeling.”

Daniele Bagnoli, Matin Varamin coach: “Our team has changed a lot from the one that won the Asian Championship. Now we have a roster with some players from Iran’s second national team and some of our own. With that, we will see, because we are in a terribly tough pool. However, we are a team that is used to fight every ball, from the beginning to the end. That is one of our best features and we intend to do so here in Brazil.”

Marcelo Méndez, Sada Cruzeiro coach: “This tournament is getting harder and harder. Belgorod is a very strong team, Al-Rayyan hired many star players, and also the other teams, like Trentino, UPCN and Matin Varamin are in great form. It’s going to be a challenge for us to reach the final four. All teams here performed very well in their local championships, so I’m sure this year the bar will be placed even higher.”

Roberto Serniotti, Trentino coach: “Being here is very special for us, as we were surprised when we learned about the invitation. Our last time here was fantastic, not only because of the organization but due to the achieved result as well. Now we have the same goal: to finish the pool among the first two spots and play the semifinals. However, I think this time it’s going to be more difficult, because the level for this year is very high.”

Fabián Armoa, UPCN coach: “We come with big expectations to Brazil, in order to improve our campaign from last year’s edition. We are confident and in good shape. This is a very important championship, filled with stars, so we are proud to be part of it and we can only hope to do our best. All teams have a good rhythm and we have the world’s best players here; I think that will boost this competition to its best level ever.”